Lincoln County has been awarded a $1.25 million grant to repair three roads serving the Brookhaven Industrial Park, said Garrick Combs, executive director of the Brookhaven-Lincoln County Industrial Development Foundation and the Chamber of Commerce.

Combs said the project to rebuild and repair Manufacturers Boulevard East, Manufacturers Boulevard West and Fender Trail is expected to cost $2.7 million.

“That infrastructure was going to have to be repaired sooner or later,” he said. “It saved us $1.25 million on a project we were going to have to do, so that’s great news.”

The gap between the total project cost and the grant will be split between Brookhaven and Lincoln County, he said. “All the praise should be given to the county and city officials in cooperating in order to get this done,” he said.

The Brookhaven Industrial Park houses at least six businesses with about 1,500 direct jobs and 340 commercial truckloads a day, he said.

U.S. Senator Thad Cochran (R-Miss.), chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced eight Delta Regional Authority grants Thursday. When combined with nonfederal contributions, the grants awarded will result in more than a $14.8 million investment in eight Mississippi communities, he said.

City and county leaders were pleased with the news.

“We’re excited to get that,” said Mayor Joe Cox. “That’s a great funding opportunity for us there to be able to work on and repave Manufacturers Boulevard.”

He said the industrial park was “an internal part of our business community” and he was happy “the city and county would be able to participate in the venture together. We look forward to getting that paved and in better shape.”

“We are very thankful to Sen. Cochran for the funding for the infrastructure of our industrial park,” said Lincoln County Chancery Clerk Tillmon Bishop. “We were going to have to do it one way or the other, so it’s a good thing. He really stepped up to the plate for this community and helped us to make it happen.”

Approximately 2.6 miles of industrial park access roads will be resurfaced with hot mix asphalt, said county engineer Ryan Holmes. The project will also include strengthening of roadway shoulders for truck parking.

“They’re in desperate need of it,” Bishop said.

According to Bishop, the county and the city will each put up about $700,000. The county will acquire their share through a short-term loan, which will be put out for bids and awarded to the lowest and best interest.

The first step will be to get an engineering plan completed. Then the job will bid out.

“Now that we know the money is available, then we feel comfortable starting with the engineering, then follow up with the bidding process,” he said.

Bishop said it is to soon to say when construction could start on the project.

DRA also awarded grants to Cleveland, Hallandale, Humphreys County, Symonds Water Association, Moorhead, Lexington and Coahoma.

Other Mississippi projects are expected to be funded as the DRA distributes the remaining $15 million of its FY2016 appropriation by the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30.